NIKE LOOKING INTO THE FUTURE OF RETAIL WITH ‘BY YOU STUDIO’

In the age of Millennials, we tend to see things and want them post haste. Nike is looking to accommodate us by unveiling a new retail experience in New York City that allows customers to design custom sneakers and then obtain them just an hour-and-a-half later. This is in turn taking place at the Nike By You Studio at 45 Grand Street.

Dubbed the Makers’ Experience, the process is via an invite-only basis (for now), as lucky persons are then allowed to wear a blank slip-on version of the Swoosh’s Presto X, which was created exclusively for this event. Following, guests select graphic options “generated from either Nike heritage or on-the-spot phrases,” according to Nike, “which can then be customized into patterns through shifts to size and color.”

“For example, one could start by using a birthday or anniversary,” Nike added. “From that typographical input, patterns are then created and scaled to taste. Color choice and gradation are nearly infinite, too. And that’s just the tip of the customization iceberg.”

Designs then appear directly on-foot thanks to augmented reality, object tracking and projection systems. When the customer decides on a final look, the sneaker is produced on-site and is, again, available 90 minutes later.

Nike’s NIKEiD platform has allowed sneaker heads to customize shoes online for more than a decade, but this new on-site experience could be the future of retail.

“The intention of the project is to bring to life the collaborative design experience that we offer our athletes,” stated Nike’s VP of innovation special projects. “They love products that tell their story, so we wanted to combine that idea with a new process of live design and manufacturing that allows our guests to come into the space, work collaboratively with us and leave with a special product in less time than ever before.”